Looking at upgrading from HF5 to either SE425 or TF10s - advice please?
May 23, 2012 at 7:43 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

scottyman

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Hi all,
I've been reading quite a few different comparisons on the forums here, but my requirements are (as usual) slightly different.
 
I spend quite a bit of time on planes, or in noisy customer offices so I'm looking for some IEMs that offer good noise isolation, but are a bit less bland/neutral than my HF5s
The triple flanges are great on the plane, but quite tiring after a while, and I'm hoping to get something with a bit more punch to the bass line and better mids - but really it's all about the comfort
I'm planning on buying when I get to the UK next week, and looking at spending a max of about 200 quid
 
One thing I do like about the HF5s is that they're relatively comfortable to wear while sleeping on the plane or in noisy hotel rooms - so the profile is pretty good - they just tend to be hopeless when out jogging.  As usual, I'm looking for the one set that will do it all, and won't take up too much space in my laptop bag :wink:
Many thanks
Scott
 
May 23, 2012 at 7:57 PM Post #2 of 8
You should try Shure Foams. They feel more bassy and are much more comfortable. An excellent IEM with good (great) bass is the UM2. it's mids are also very satisfying, and I love mids. Comfort was excellent for me, but some people find them uncomfortable... Other alternatives can be the Audeo PFE 1xx and the SE425. Don't expect the 425s to be exactly fun and bassy because that's not the case for these IEMs. They sort of remind me of the HF5s because of their detailed nature with a mids emphasis.
 
May 23, 2012 at 8:55 PM Post #3 of 8
I've had both se425 and tf10, if you don't like neutral, you won't like se425 (in my case, I don't like veiled phone, so I liked se425 a lot more than tf10). SE425 is neutral with slight mid emphasis, not much punch in the bass for you. SE425 with shure olives isolates very well, and was very comfortable for me, even with long listening sessions.
 
May 23, 2012 at 9:58 PM Post #4 of 8
TF10 out of the two you have listed.
 
May 23, 2012 at 10:22 PM Post #5 of 8
I currently own both the TF10 and the se425. The one thing you have to be aware of with the TF10 is that if your ears are small, it will not be very comfortable. Comparatively, I find the se425 much more suited to sleeping as they fit a lot more flush with your ears. Both offer fantastic isolation as long as you can find a well fitting tip.
In my opinion:
Better mids - se425
Better bass - TF10
 
May 27, 2012 at 4:41 PM Post #6 of 8
Hi guys
Thanks so much for this - it's been really helpful!
I really liked the look for the Westone UM2s - but it's a bit nuts how they charge such a massive premium for detachable cables
I've ended up getting the TF10's shipped from Amazon in the US as it comes out almost 40 quid cheaper than buying locally, and they'll still deliver on Thursday
The SE425s look great in clear, but I don't want to have a mic cable in black attached - and I shouldn't be so bloody precious about things like that, but I know that it will annoy me over time. I'd rather spend the money that I've saved and follow the advice of a mate of mine and get the TF10s reshelled eventually, and get custom cables made either in the UK or in Aus - or maybe I'll save my South Pacific pesos and try and get the UM2s  as business expense next time I'm stranded in the US with only an Amazon account for company :wink:
 
May 27, 2012 at 5:12 PM Post #8 of 8
The Aurisonic ASG-1, GR07, Sony XB4, XB3, SE535 are great sounding IEMs with clear, crisp mids, highs and good bass response.
 

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